News

Mitchelton-SCOTT to race with combined Australian & Chinese roster at Tour of China

Sat 9 Sep 2017

The 2017 edition of the Tour of China provides the perfect opportunity for Mitchelton-SCOTT to race with a combined roster of Chinese and Australian riders for the first time this season with the continental outfit to be led by experienced Australian Cameron Meyer.

The ten-day stage race is split into part one and part two as the long and challenging race incorporates multiple rest and transfer days that separate the race days and make for a demanding mix of terrain and scenery.

Multiple track medallist Meyer will be completing the rest of the 2017 season with Mitchelton-SCOTT before returning to the WorldTour peloton with ORICA-SCOTT in 2018 and his experience and ability will be vital in China.

Making their first appearance alongside their Australian counterparts will be Chinese riders Wenhui Bi and Sun Xiaolong as the team looks to push for consistent results throughout the two-legged race.

“This is the first time that we will be able to race with a mix of nationalities,” explained sport director James Victor. “And we really hope that the combination of Australian and Chinese talent will pay dividends. It’s a great opportunity for the riders and the team and I’m sure that the guys will relish the chance to get to know one another and race hard for ten days together.”

“Cameron will lead the team and we are fortunate to be able to call on his experience. He already raced to positive effect with the Australian guys at the Tour Down Under earlier in the year and later at the Tour of Ireland. Harry, Sam and our Chinese riders will undoubtedly benefit from racing with someone of Cameron’s versatility and strength and there is a nice balance to the team.

“We will be looking to Jai to get in the mix on the climbing stages during the first week of racing, he has had a great season and will be using this race as additional prep for the upcoming World championships in Bergen.

“It will be a demanding race on challenging terrain and it is normally raced very aggressively so we will have to be positive and on the front foot to try and achieve a result. The field is usually very strong and this year will be no different.”

The UCI category 2.1 event has been held since 1995 and crisscrosses the country with the first five days of racing taking in the mountainous countryside before moving into the urban areas for Grand Prix style circuit races in the second half of the Tour.